No charges will be brought to a group of radio DJs who ran a competition in which a contestant died trying to win a Nintendo Wii.
Sacramento radio station 107.9 'The End' ran a competition called 'Hold Your Wee for a Wii' where contestants had to drink as much water as possible without going to the toilet. Whoever lasted longest won a Nintendo Wii.
Contestant Jennifer Strange, 28, from Sacramento, Florida, was found dead from water intoxication the next day after she drank over two gallons. The radio show was cancelled and the DJs were fired .
The Sacramento County district attorney said on Monday that Jennifer Strange had been voluntarily participating in the radio contest, she could have left whenever she liked and she showed no life-threatening symptoms.
"In our decision not to file involuntary manslaughter charges, there were no observable indications or symptoms that Jennifer Strange was experiencing a serious medical emergency which would have required station employees to seek or administer medical aid to her," commented the district attorney.
On the radio show, the DJs clearly conclude if a contestant is sick or suffers from 'water intoxication' - as one DJ called it - the contestant would be disqualified. When Strange was offered free concert tickets to quit the contest after complaining of headaches she turned them down at first, before later accepting them.
The Nintendo Wii has sold very well in the US, outselling both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Stocks remain so low that many people are unable to find one.
